PETALING JAYA: The flame of determination to succeed burned even brighter at the Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2025, as award winners resolved to reach greater heights.
Held at One World Hotel, SOBA 2025’s 84 awards were spread out across three main categories – Top of the Class Awards, Outstanding Achievement Awards and SOBA Mikro Recognition Award.
Ice Holidays Sdn Bhd bagged the award for Malaysian Business of the Year, among other top awards.
Meanwhile, Galactic Advance Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd won gold in the Best Brand category.
“It feels fantastic and truly an honour to make our return to the SOBA awards after a decade since we last won the SOBA Rising Star award in 2016.
“With this reward and recognition, we hope to boldly step out of our comfort zone and begin expanding our engineering business into the South-East Asian market like Singapore as a first step,” said Galactic Advance Engineering chief executive officer Sakthivel Narayasamy.
Another equally determined award winner was Claire Organics Group Shd Bhd which won gold for Best in e-Retail and silver for Best Green Initiative for its innovative natural skincare products.
The company’s founder, Louise Chu, said receiving not one but two SOBA awards 14 years after setting up her company has motivated her to continue pushing for adoption of natural sustainable skincare products.
“The award will drive us to continue doing what we do as it shows that we are on the right track.
“With these awards, we hope expand our business to hopefully become a global brand one day and truly make a global impact more towards the environment,” she said.
Mr Academy International Sdn Bhd managing director and founder Marcus Chew said the awards give him the confidence and opportunity to further improve his business.
“Achieving this is just the start; coming to SOBA itself gives me the chance to meet winners in other categories that I did not win in,” he said.
The SOBA award winners were split into businesses with sales turnover of up to RM25mil and businesses with sales turnover of RM25mil and above.
Also coming in tops were Cert Academy Sdn Bhd (Brand), SBK Concept Store Sdn Bhd (Employer, Halal Product/Service, CSR and Young Entrepreneur of the Year), Rentalworks Sdn Bhd (Green Initiative), Precious My Sdn Bhd (Customer Service and Retail), Claire Organics Group Shd Bhd (e-Retail) and PhytoGaia Sdn Bhd (Marketing, Innovation and Malaysian Business of the Year).
Meanwhile, the SOBA Mikro Recognition Awards saw eight awards given to up-and-coming small businesses.
In his keynote speech, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim said the success of local businesses, such as the winners of SOBA 2025, were key to ensuring the country’s economic sustainability.
“The collaboration and cooperation of the business community is important to ensure we can get through this modern situation of unending uncontrollable challenges in this multipolar world.
“This is why my ministry’s mission is to assist local businesses, like the winners of SOBA, to succeed by reducing the government bureaucracy,” he said.
Star Media Group (SMG) group chief executive officer Chan Seng Fatt said the SOBA’s true meaning comes not just in the recognition of growing businesses, but in its ability to provide them new opportunities.
“What makes this award meaningful is not just the recognition, but the process behind it.
“It validates the strength of a business and opens doors for them to new opportunities, partnerships and growth,” he said.
Chan also praised the award winners for showcasing exceptional vision, discipline and leadership in 2025 which he said was vital for sustained success in the current increasingly complicated global economic climate.
“The reality is that we are operating in an increasingly complex global environment where conflicts are intensifying, supply chains are being reconfigured and economic alliances continue to shift.
“At the same time, energy prices remain volatile, currencies fluctuate and protectionist policies are making cross-border trade more challenging.
“But tonight’s awardees have built solid foundations, with disciplined cost management, clear direction and the ability to keep moving forward even when conditions are uncertain.
“You are benchmarks for the wider MSME community, proof that Malaysian businesses can compete, adapt and lead,” he said.
Chan encouraged local businesses to continue pushing towards a brighter economic future for themselves and the country, regardless of what the future might have in store.
Attending SOBA 2025 were key economic leaders in Malaysia including Matrade Export Acceleration deputy chief executive officer S. Jai Shankar, SME Corporation Malaysia chief executive officer Rizal Datuk Nainy and many others.
They were also joined by SMG chairman Tan Sri Wong Foon Meng, chief operating officer Lydia Wang and chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng.
SOBA 2025 is organised by SMG with Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd, PKT Logistics Sdn Bhd, RHB Bank Bhd and U Mobile Sdn Bhd as main sponsors.
Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd is the co-sponsor, while the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation serves as the official trade promotion partner and SME Corp Malaysia as supporter.
The awards are audited by BDO, with radio stations 988 and Suria as official media partners.
